Monitoring device and monitoring system

• US 10,192,420 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MSA Europe GmbH (MSA Safety, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MSA Europe GmbH (MSA Safety, Inc.)
• Inventors: Boss, Jurgen, Moller, Julian, Fronzke, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Tun, Nay
• Application Number:
  US15/128,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20170109993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2503/20 Workers
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0242 adapted to measure environmental factors, e.g. temperature, pollution
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6801 specially adapted to be attached to or worn on the body surface
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6802 Sensor mounted on worn items
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/742 using visual displays A61B5/339 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0446 worn on the body to detect changes of posture, e.g. a fall, inclination, acceleration, gait
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0453 worn on the body to detect health condition by physiological monitoring, e.g. electrocardiogram, temperature, breathing detecting, measuring or recording for diagnostic purposes A61B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/0476 Cameras to detect unsafe condition, e.g. video cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/67 for remote operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16Z 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other main groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 : Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 : Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 : Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

A monitoring device having at least one data processing unit, at least one transmitter and/or receiver unit, at least one acceleration sensor, and can be connected to at least one sensor for recording measured values, wherein the data processing unit has at least two operating modes, including a “basic mode” and a “base station mode”, wherein: in the “basic mode”, the measured values of the acceleration sensor and/or of the at least one sensor are monitored, in the “base station mode”, the measured values can be processed by at least one other but compatible monitoring device in the “basic mode”. The invention also relates to a monitoring system.

Claims

1. A mobile monitoring device, comprising:

at least one transmitter;

at least one receiver;

at least one sensor for recording measured values on or in at least one of the following;

a wearing person, a surrounding of the wearing person, equipment of the wearing person, or any combination thereof;

at least one processing unit in operative connection with the at least one transmitter, the at least one receiver, and the at least one sensor;

wherein the at least one processing unit sets the mobile monitoring device to one of a basic mode and a base station mode according to a setting;

wherein, in the basic mode, the at least one processing unit is configured to monitor the measured values of the at least one sensor,

wherein, in the base station mode, the at least one processing unit is configured to monitor measured values of at least one other, compatible mobile monitoring device operating in the basic mode, and

wherein the at least one processing unit is configured to automatically set the mobile monitoring device to the basic mode at a time of start up by coupling, via physical proximity to or physical contact with, a compatible mobile monitoring device set to the base station mode.

2. The mobile monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the mobile monitoring device uses the at least one sensor to monitor at least one physiological characteristic of a wearing person and at least one ambient characteristic when in the basic mode.

3. The mobile monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the mobile monitoring device receives data from at least one other, compatible mobile monitoring device when in the base station mode.

4. The mobile monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a connection device, wherein the basic mode is set when a respiratory protection apparatus is connected to the mobile monitoring device via the connection device.

5. The mobile monitoring device of claim 4, wherein the connecting device includes near field communication.

6. The mobile monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the at least one transmitter and the at least one receiver are configured as a communication system comprising at least one of the following:

a bidirectional communication unit, a pager system, a repeater system, or any combination thereof.

7. The mobile monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of the following:

a connection device for an external sensor, an integrated sensor, or any combination thereof.

8. The mobile monitoring device of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor monitors a characteristic comprising at least one of the following:

at least one physiological parameter of a wearing person, a quantity of remaining breathable air in a container, an environmental parameter, a relative location, or any combination thereof.

9. The mobile monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a camera.

10. The mobile monitoring device of claim 9, wherein the camera is a thermal imaging camera.

11. The mobile monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a display, wherein display brightness is based at least partially on the set mode of operation.

12. The mobile monitoring device of claim 1, wherein, in the base station mode, measured values of the at least one sensor are processed by the at least one other, compatible mobile monitoring device.

13. The mobile monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising at least one attachment arrangement configured to facilitate attachment of the device to a person.

14. The mobile monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the following:

at least one display, at least one operative element, at least one light emitting diode, at least one acoustic signal emitter, at least one loudspeaker, or any combination thereof.

15. The mobile monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising at least one housing configured to be at least one of the following:

water-tight, impact-resistant, or any combination thereof.

16. The mobile monitoring device of claim 1, further comprising a display,

wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one acceleration sensor;

and

wherein the display is switchable between on and off states by a signal of the at least one acceleration sensor.

17. A monitoring system, comprising:

a plurality of mobile monitoring devices;

one of the plurality of mobile monitoring devices being set to a base station mode;

each remaining device of the plurality of mobile monitoring devices being set to a basic mode;

the one of the plurality of mobile monitoring devices set to the base station mode receiving data from and issuing commands to each remaining device of the plurality of mobile monitoring devices set to the basic mode;

wherein each remaining device of the plurality of mobile monitoring devices is configurable to be set to the base station mode;

wherein the one of the plurality of mobile monitoring devices set to the base station mode is configured to be set to the basic mode after being set to the base station mode; and

wherein each of the plurality of mobile monitoring devices is configured to be automatically set to the basic mode at a time of start up by coupling, via physical proximity to or physical contact with, the one of the plurality of mobile monitoring devices set to the base station mode.

18. The monitoring system of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of mobile monitoring devices comprises:

at least one acceleration sensor; and

a display switchable between on and off states by a signal of the at least one acceleration sensor.